Scumworm – EP (Review)

Scumworm create a riot of violence that’s influenced by old-school grind, death metal, and punk. This EP is an ugly, belligerent way to spend 10 minutes, but a rather enjoyable one regardless.

With a raw, blackened sound that reeks of the underground and nihilistic hatred, these songs are nasty and filthy affairs. Even though all of the songs only last between one and two minutes, they show an easy understanding of the style, and have enough, (relative), diversity and catchiness to them to make them grimly appealing. Fast and brutal this may be, but it’s not without its hooks.

The guitars have a strangely hollow effect to them that sounds somehow sickening. This isn’t a bad thing, believe it or not; rather, it lends them a certain kind of blackened buzzsaw quality that sounds as if you could lose a finger if you were to somehow reach out and touch them.

Don’t do this.

The guitars are extremely satisfying, with plenty of good riffs and grooves – stoner and doom are clearly another of the band’s influences. Some solos and rough melodies are included here and there amidst the brutal aggression, and the bass sounds like it’s made of broken glass. The old-school energy that comes off this in waves is slightly intoxicating, and I can’t help but feel gleefully nauseous after listening to this. Again, it might not sound it, but this isn’t a bad thing at all.

The vocals are a mix of acidic screams and foul growls, and I’m not really convinced they’re made by humans. Tar monsters, maybe. Yes, that’s the real answer here. Tar monsters.

You heard it here first.

Scumworm, (great name), have apparently landed. I very much like that they have a few different elements to them that cause them to stand out from the crowd, and this EP is a keeper.